Putin: Russia's Choice by Richard s> Sakwa Political Elites and the New Russia: The Power Basis of Yeltsin's and Putin's Regimes by Anton s> Steen (review)

Abstract

REVIEWS 78I most crucially, before Gorbachev's new thinking had been announced, was decisive in ending the Cold War. As the editorsargue, such an omission does not prevent a thorough analysis of Reagan's role in the ending of the Cold War (p. 12), but it does, at least, have the appearanceof pre-judgingthe issue. In a volume where such stress is placed on scientific methods, this seems unfortunate. The focus on turning points also contains the danger of overemphasizing particular moments in history rather than long-term trends, whose study is a strengthof Bisley'sbook. It is also immediatelyapparentthat not all five turningpoints areviewed as being of equal importance by their authors either. Matthew Evangelista,for example, on arms control, is least convinced that his subjectis crucial,whilst Jacques Levesque argues that the abandonment of the Brezhnev Doctrine in Eastern Europe 'at first very cautiously and indirectly, but with increasing clarityat the beginning of I989' is the key turningpoint in the historyof the Cold War (p. io8). Archie Brown makes a similarly strong case for Gorbachev. Clearly, Gorbachev was a pivotal figure in the period, but perhaps not quite the lonely pioneer he is portrayed as here. Too much of the Gorbachev design failed to materialize. Gorbachev wanted to end the Cold War, but he also wanted the Soviet Union to remain a superpower.He found he could have one but not the other, and in simple terms, this seems to be Nick Bisley'smain point. For all the caveats regarding the methodological approach, this remains a fascinatingvolume. Alongside the five case studies, it includes a counterfactual chapter by George W. Breslauerand Richard Ned Lebow discussing the possibleimplicationsif eventshad takena differentcourse.The finalchapters compare the five turning points, but the conclusionsreached appear less decisive than the editors had initially hoped for. Nevertheless, this edited volume is a very worthwhileaddition to Cold War historiography.It also has some usefulideas on how to approachthe studyof the Cold War, and political history itself. School ofPolitical,SocialandInternational Studies MiKEBOWKER University ofEastAnglia Sakwa, Richard. Putin:Russia'sChoice. Routledge, London and New York, 2004. xi + 307pp. Notes. Tables. Bibliographicreferences.Index. [i6.99 (paperback). Steen, Anton. Political ElitesandtheNew Russia:ThePowerBasisof Yeltsin's and Putin'sRegimes. BASEES/RoutledgeCurzon Series on Russian and East European Studies, 5. RoutledgeCurzon, London and New York, 2003. X+ 212 pp. Tables. Figure.Appendix.Notes. Bibliography.Index. ?65.00. POLITIcAL elites have matteredin Russia'spost-Sovietevolution, as has political leadership. While much scholarly attention has understandably been directed to the broader conditions and pressures that have structured the country'stransformation,elites, institutionsand theirpolicy outputsalso merit 782 SEER, 84, 4, 2006 attention. Richard Sakwa and Anton Steen, as two leading observers of Russian political elites and the policy process, turn their attention to these aspects of post-Soviet Russia, producing two carefullyresearched and effectively presented studies that demonstrate the centrality of political elites to the content and direction of the country'songoing reform. In their foci and findings,these two volumes are complimentary,and they significantlyadvance our knowledge of Russian elite politics and policy in the El'tsin-Putinperiod. Sakwa's study provides a comprehensive overview of the political eliteinstitutional -policydevelopmentsof Putin'sfirstterm. In an era of much armchair second-guessingof Putin's thinking and motivations, Sakwa provides a refreshinglycareful analysisof the Russian president'sintellectualand career development as relevant to his policy choices. The treatment is thorough, Sakwa'sevaluation both balanced and nuanced. His examination of what he terms Putin's 'strategic purpose' and 'tactical flexibility' is persuasive and yields an accurate and highly useful illumination of the logic of the Putin programme. The volume is rich in citations and illustrativecases. Sakwa is especially effective in illuminatingthe interconnectionsbetween Putin's own evolving thinking and the political choices taken during the first term. The presentation in the appendix of an important governmental position paper generatedjust days before Putin became president, 'Russia at the turn of the millennium', is especiallynoteworthy. This twelve-page documentaryappendix concisely sets out a political frame of reference,set of issue concerns, and implied policy responsesthat are highly suggestiveof what Putinwould tackle in his first term. Throughout the text, Sakwa links this document and other items reflectiveof the Russian president'sthinkingand preferencesto...